


come out of nowhere and into my life

by manesalex



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alex Manes Week 2020, Alternate Universe, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24887317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manesalex/pseuds/manesalex
Summary: Alex asks Michael to be his fake boyfriend.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 47
Kudos: 239





	1. Chapter 1

“Come on, Alex,” Maria pushes for the umpteenth time. “I know you hate blind dates, but I don’t want you to be there alone. Not again. And you deserve to be happy.”

Alex sighs. Most of the time, he’d ask Kyle to be his plus one at events, just so he could avoid the pitying looks or the attempts to set him up with random guys. But Maria knows Kyle. She knows they’re just friends and that Kyle is as straight as they come, even if he’s always happy to pretend to be Alex’s boyfriend.

“I’m actually seeing someone,” Alex lies. “It’s new, so I didn’t want to pressure him into coming as my date to a wedding, but… We’ll see where it goes.”

Maria looks at him like she knows he’s lying and, fuck, he hates that pitying look. He knows she cares, but it only makes him feel worse about himself.

He’s tried to explain that it’s not easy for him to date. It’s not like there are a lot of out queer men in Roswell, much less men who would be interested in Alex. Not with his issues. He’s found they tend to back away quickly when they hear about his injury. Not a lot of guys want to date an amputee. And those who claim they don’t mind, well, Alex isn’t fond of that look of pity in their eyes either.

And then there are the issues with his family and, well, he’s not exactly a catch.

“So, are we going to meet this one?” Maria asks carefully. He loves her for playing along and sparing his ego, even if she doesn’t believe him.

“He’ll be here soon. Any minute,” Alex lies quickly. Desperately. Before he can think about how massively foolish it is to promise that he’s going to introduce her to some boyfriend who doesn’t even exist.

He glances nervously toward the door, hoping that someone will come through to save him.

And suddenly, there he is. The gorgeous man with the wild curls that Alex just wants to tug on. He’s seen the guy around Roswell, but he doesn’t know his name. Or if he even likes guys. He’s never so much as worked up the courage to talk to him.

Before he can tell himself not to, he’s standing up and making his way toward the man, hoping against hope this doesn’t go badly. “I, um, I told my friend back there,” he nods toward the bar, “That I have a boyfriend. Just so she’d stop trying to set me up with guys who wouldn’t want to date me anyway. And so she’ll stop looking at me like I’m sad and pathetic and-”

“You want me to convince your friend that I’m your boyfriend,” the guy says, rather than asks, his voice rough and deep and far too sexy for Alex to handle.

“Would you?” Alex asks. He can’t believe he admitted all of that to a stranger, but there’s something about him that makes Alex feel safe. Which probably means he’s an asshole, based on Alex’s luck.

Much to his surprise, the man doesn’t answer, just wraps one muscular arm around him and leans in close, pressing a lingering kiss to Alex’s cheekbone. Up close, he smells like engine grease and rain. And then he pulls away just far enough to look Alex in his eyes, to clock the heated blush Alex can feel spreading across his face. “You got it, darlin’,” he says, eyes warm and kind.

It takes Alex a moment to realize he’s pulling him toward the bar and, when Alex stumbles in his surprise, the man doesn’t comment, just pauses for long enough for him to steady himself before continuing to make his way toward the bar.

Maria looks completely surprised, but she covers it quickly, holding out her hand and introducing herself, “Maria Deluca. What can I get you?”

“Michael,” the man introduces himself, taking her hand with a smile and shaking it, all while not letting go of Alex. “And just another of whatever Alex here is having.”

Alex is absolutely certain he hasn’t told Michael his name, but, before he can do something foolish like ask how Michael knows it, Maria thankfully asks, “How did you two meet?”

“Alex and I both get coffee from Beam Me Up around the same time,” Michael starts. “He’s usually a few people in front of me. And, I have to admit,” he leans over the counter with a conspiratorial grin, “There’s no way I wouldn’t notice an ass like his, you know?”

Maria laughs and Alex is torn between gaping at Michael for being such an excellent liar and blushing. It’s decided for him when Michael’s hand slides from his shoulder down his back to rest against the small of his back.

“Anyway, at first it was just that. He was this hottie at the coffee shop. And then, one day, the barista was training some new guy and it was taking at least twice as long. Everyone was shifting and sighing and rolling their eyes.” He pauses, looking serious, “I mean, I get it, we all have places to be, but no need to be an asshole, you know?” Anyway,” he says, grin returning, “Alex here was just so patient and friendly, smiling that beautiful grin of his and, well, I just had to ask him if I could buy him his next coffee.” He looks at Alex with a smile so warm and fond that Alex almost believes it’s real, “I still can’t believe he said yes.”

“I like this one,” Maria grins, drawing Alex’s attention back to her, before turning back to Michael, “So, tell me Michael, are you going to be Alex’s date to our friend Liz’s wedding?”

“Liz Ortecho?” Michael asks, looking surprised for maybe the first time. And then, covering it with a smile at Alex, “You didn’t tell me you knew Liz, darlin’.” He can feel Michael’s thumb absently brushing against the fabric of his shirt and, yeah, this was either the worst mistake he has ever made or the best.

“We went to high school together,” Alex replies. “How do you know-”

“Max is my brother,” Michael smiles. “I was going to ask you to be my plus one, but I wasn’t sure if that was rushing things or-”

“He’d be happy to,” Maria answers for him.

“It’s a date,” Michael gives him a warm smile and, for a moment, Alex allows himself to believe it.


	2. Chapter 2

“So you’ll pick Tess up at 3,” Isobel says, hanging her dress up in the closet while Michael watches from her bed, feet up, hand in a bag of chips.

“I can’t. Got a date,” Michael tells her as he wipes his chip grease on her comforter. It’s worth it just to watch the look of disgust she makes.

“You do not have a date,” Isobel insists, looking like she’s trying her hardest not to reprimand him about the chips. “Some random girl from The Wild Pony does not count as a date to our brother’s wedding.”

“No, it’s a guy from The Pony,” Michael tells her, just to piss her off.

He watches as at least ten different arguments fly into her head and are rejected. “If you met him getting into a bar fight-”

“My date is Alex,” he tells her finally.

“You asked Alex out and you didn’t tell me?!” she shrieks, smacking him on the arm. She’s been trying to get him to ask Alex out for months, ever since, in a moment of drunken honesty, he’d told her about the kind, handsome man from the coffee shop. The one with the warmest smile he’d ever seen. The guy who he knows is way out of his league.

“Didn’t want to jinx things,” he shrugs. He’s not about to spill Alex’s secret to Isobel. Not when he desperately wants it to be a real date. Not when he’s hoping, maybe, it will go well enough that he can ask Alex out on a real date. That Alex will say yes.

“I’ll tell Tess she has to find someone else,” Isobel says, picking up her phone and starting to text. “I’m so happy for you, Michael!” She pauses, setting down her phone before looking at him and saying, “We have to get you a tux.”

“Iz-”

“No, Michael, don’t argue with me. We’re going to make you so handsome for him. I mean, clearly, he already puts up with this,” she waves her hands at his outfit, “But we’re going to make him swoon.”

Michael can’t argue with that. If his sister can give him any help impressing Alex, he’ll take it. Because Alex might be charmed by his flirting, if the way he blushes is any indication, but he’s certain Alex won’t be impressed by his, otherwise lacking, social skills.

It wasn’t a concern for him in high school and college, too focused on getting a scholarship and then in maintaining it. And then grad school hadn’t exactly given him time for anything other than school and work. As for people, Michael had Max and Isobel. But, otherwise? In his experience? People weren’t worth the effort. They were selfish and self-obsessed, And they tended to treat the foster kid with old clothes from Goodwill and bruises on his arms like he didn’t even exist.

But not Alex. He’s seen his patience and kindness with everyone, the way he _sees_ everyone. And suddenly Michael wishes he was good with people, that he could charm people the way Isobel does or somehow win people over the way Max does with his fucking earnestness. Instead, he excels at driving people away.

“Don’t give me that look, Michael,” Isobel interrupts his mental spiral. “You may have terrible fashion sense, but there’s a reason he’s dating you.”

“Yeah,” Michael just says, well aware that that reason is just getting his friends off his back. And that’s something he doesn’t get. How on earth does _Alex_ struggle to find a date?

His phone chimes next to him and he picks it up, reading the message and grinning. It’s Alex.

_Dinner at The Crashdown at 7? Get our stories straight? ;)_

_see u there,_ Michael types in response, sending it instantly.

* * *

Michael spots Alex sitting in a booth in the back when he gets there and he can’t help but grin at the way Alex waves at him almost shyly. He looks unfairly good in his blue jeans and gray sweater, covered by a leather jacket. Michael doesn’t know whether he wants to tear all of them off and take him right there or snuggle into him.

“Thank you for doing this,” Alex says when Michael sits down. “I know it’s a lot to ask and-”

“You got me out of taking some random woman my sister knows, so I should be thanking you,” Michael shrugs.

A complicated mix of emotions crosses Alex’s face before he finally says, “Happy to help.”

Michael is interrupted from saying anything further by a woman who looks so much like Liz Ortecho it’s uncanny. “What can I get you tonight?” she asks, sounding bored. And then she turns to Alex and says, “And before you ask, no milkshakes tonight. Sorry.”

“Still broken?” Alex asks, making Michael realize he’s missing something.

“More like broken again. I told Papi that guy can’t be trusted, but you know what the options are like in Roswell,” she shrugs, tapping her pen against the notepad in her hand.

“I could look at it,” Michael offers, drawing the woman’s attention to him. “I’m an agricultural engineer. Can’t be too hard to fix a blender,” he shrugs.

“You sure?” Alex asks.

Michael just nods and stands, “Lead the way.”

Michael is surprised that Alex follows along too, standing in the kitchen with him and keeping him company while he works. People come in and out, working around them, but Alex is consistently there.

“You said you’re an agricultural engineer?” Alex asks, “Anything specific you’re working on right now?”

Michael starts explaining his work, expecting Alex to tune out or get bored but, to his surprise, Alex seems to be listening, asking questions for clarification every once in a while, like he’s actually interested. And Michael is reminded yet again of why he’s had a crush on Alex for so long when most other people just don’t capture his attention.

When Michael finishes, the waitress, _Rosa_ , as Alex tells him, rushes off to get her father. When she drags him into the kitchen, Michael explains, “Should work for a bit longer. But you’ll need a new part,” he says, pulling out his phone and showing the part to the man he knows is Mr. Ortecho. “I can order it now, but you’ll need to call me when it arrives so I can install it.” He grabs Rosa’s notepad and pen and scribbles his phone number on it quickly. 

Mr. Ortecho thanks him, but Michael just shrugs, “Gotta make sure Alex here gets his milkshake.”

Judging by the awed look on Alex’s face, Michael thinks maybe he did something right.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for Alex week. I may write more when I have time, so subscribe if you want updates!


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